Fires on the outskirts of Port Lincoln have been contained, but authorities are warning of the ongoing risks posed by burning waste at the city’s dump amid reports that multiple homes and businesses have been affected.
Key points:
- Fires that started in Port Lincoln yesterday have destroyed six structures
- The mayor says waste collection services could be disrupted because of the fire at the dump
- Authorities say there have been no reports of serious injuries to firefighters of the public
Country Fire Service duty officer Adam Parenty said while crews continued to battle hotspots on the 143-hectare fireground, the fire at the dump remained the biggest issue.
“Because waste management facilities do have a number of different types of materials in there, we are cognisant that smoke may be hazardous,” Mr Parenty said.
“If you have respiratory issues like asthma or anything else, then really take care today.
“If you can … stay indoors, keep the windows closed and use air-conditioning with recycled air.”
Mr Parenty said CFS crews were working to extinguished the fire at the city dump as soon as possible and urged residents to steer clear of the area.
“It is crucial to make the waste management facility a no-go area,” he said.
“Yesterday we had downed powerlines as well, making the fence around the dump electrified.
“One we get the intensity down we can go in and mop up the hotspots.”
Homes and businesses lost
The CFS has estimated as many as six residential and industrial structures have been impacted by the fire so far.
Port Lincoln Mayor Diana Mislov said she was meeting with residents who had lost their homes.
“It’s a very eerie feeling this morning,” she said.
“There’s still a thick plume of smoke coming up from our resource recovery centre and a very unpleasant smell is thick in the air.”
Ms Mislov said waste collection services were likely to be disrupted because of the fire at the dump.
“I believe they’re still going to collect the rubbish today, but I need to check with the CEO what the plan is going forward,” she said.
“We ask the public to please be patient and we will have advice on that soon.”
No injury reports so far
Mr Parenty said the lack of injuries amongst CFS crews was a testament to volunteer professionalism.
“Obviously there’ll be a lot of fatigue but no injuries that were reported yesterday,” he said.
“We haven’t had any injuries confirmed from members of the public either.”
David Reid chairman Port Lincoln Racing Club said horses had to be evacuated from the site but there was no major damage to the club.
“We couldn’t get all the horses off the course,” he said.
“Two of our staff members remained with our firefighting truck and they were prepared to extinguish any embers that may have come onto the course.
“We have no real incident at the club, which is a fantastic outcome.”
Mr Reid said a racing meet for the weekend was due to go ahead as planned.
“We’ve got the McDonald’s Peninsula Cup this Sunday — that will go ahead as scheduled,” he said.